Iron Secrets
by Ootori1459
Summary: Levy has been kidnapped! Gajeel, what will you do now! Through a twist of events Levy and Gajeel begin to see each other as "more than friends"... but can Levy really break through his iron hide? And what's the deal behind a suspicious job offer? GaLe
1. Chapter 1: Lucy and the Guild

**Chapter 1: Lucy and the Guild**  
>SEASON: Springtime<p>

"I'm serious – you're brilliant!" Lucy cooed. She instantly slapped a hand over her big, overly-lipsticked mouth and blushed. Natsu, one of her best friends in the entire mage guild Fairy Tail, gave her an odd look.

"You're acting weird." The embarrassed stellar-spirit user turned even redder and fiddled with the corner of her too-short skirt with her free hand as the grinning boy continued. "But you're right, Luce. I'll beat Erza next time!" He held up a fist and grinned, and the tall, sturdy-built, red-haired girl beside him rolled her eyes.

"Like that's going to happen," she said, shifting her legs under their in-door picnic table. Natsu stuck out his tongue childishly at the tall, scarlet-haired mage.

"Oh, yeah? You wanna try again, Erza?" challenged Natsu eagerly, leaping up from his seat. "I'll win, I'll win, I'll win!"

"In your dreams, hot-head," smirked a voice. Lucy and Natsu looked up. A tall, dark-haired teen towered above them, hands stuffed in the pockets of a pair of baggy jeans and ink-black blazers tight-fitting on his top. His black hair was spiky and obviously uncombed, and a familiar smug and sneer on his face completed the sturdy, fun, and competitive look.

"Grey!" Natsu grinned devilishly. "Fight with me. I'll show you who's gonna be pounded to the ground in no time flat."

"Yeah, _you,_" hissed Grey, jabbing his enemy in the gut. Before she could say "I love Loki", Lucy found herself staring at a tornado of clenched fists and bloody noses. Dust flew as onlookers cried, "FIGHT!" and jumped in after them. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"You'll get used to it," Erza assured her, laughing and yanking Natsu by his porcupine-style, pink hair out of the giant, screaming whirlwind. He stuck out his tongue as he dove back into the fight. Lucy shrugged, unable to take her eyes off the wild jumble of red-faced mages.

"I don't know. This happens almost every day, but I still feel that… electric 'shock' that comes, every time something like this occurs. Although it _is_ sort of fun," came the quick, uncertain response. Erza laughed again, just as Mira Jane, another girlfriend of theirs, came strolling by.

"Noisy brats, aren't they?" Mira Jane observed, flipping her sleek, white hair. Erza shrugged.

"'Guess so," she said, rolling her eyes. "Luce here is straining not to throw up just about now," she added with a sly grin.

"Hey! This is a _fighting mage guild_, so it's a shame to be"- at this point she stumbled over her words –"_weird_ about these kinds of things, Erza-san!"

"Admit it. Daily fist fights aren't exactly your idea of _fun_, are they?" Erza teased. "And STOP CALLING ME ERZA-SAN!"

"Er-_za_!" Lucy cried, slapping her hands over her red, red cheeks and tossing her pretty blonde head with a tiny bit of weak fury at the stronger, more powerful Erza. Mira laughed sweetly and then glanced back over her shoulder.

"Uh-oh, better get back to work. My little diners look hungry. See ya!" she said with a friendly wave of her hand. Erza and Lucy returned the farewell as the cheery girl raced back to her counter.

~ o ~

Levy smiled and hummed to herself as she skipped in the beautiful, largely-enjoyed Magnolia park, a slightly heavy basket in hand. She scanned the area and promptly decided that this was the perfect place to have her private picnic. Sitting down, she flipped up the lid of the picnic basket and, taking out a sandwich, a shiny, red-cheeked apple and a bag of Cheetos, she began to eat. Once she felt that she'd eaten her fill, Levy lay down on her back on the grass and stared dreamily up at the mysterious, baby-blue sky and hot, swirling sun. Soon her eyelids felt heavy and they began to close…

~ o ~

Gajeel frowned as he stood, glaring, on the balcony of the second floor. Below him was a dusty jumble of male and female mages alike, fighting and leering and hooting… _Annoying_, he told himself with a smirk. _Don't they have better things to do than to lounge about, flailing with their fists? And how do they call _that_ 'beating each other up'? Lousy brats…_

"Gajeel!" called a voice from behind him. He turned his head ever so slightly.

"Oh, it's only you… master Makarov." Before him stood a petite, old – yet young at heart – man with twinkling eyes just as tiny as his body, funky clothes, funny green slippers that turned up at the toes and a sometimes _frightening _type of jolly attitude. Finally, a corny, striped horn-hat plopped on his head like a colourful dollop of…

"If you said that to Natsu you'd be finding yourself in a fist-fight," laughed Makarov, shaking his small head.

"That firebrain?" Gajeel muttered, his hands crossing at the chest. Makarov raised a knowing eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Yes, that firebrain!" was what the master was about to burst out with a shake of his head, but of course as his duty, he held his tongue. Instead, he said, "Why aren't you down there, wrestling with the group?"

"I just…" Gajeel turned his head around, feeling at a loss for words. This often happened around the challenging, wise(-ish?) master… who was also slightly nosy at times, but of course only for good reason.

"I understand," Makarov put in with a nod, and smiled. "Well, I've got to go to the regular meaning, now. You'll see that they don't make any large harm to the guild." After Gajeel grunted what sounded like a choppy "Of course", Makarov turned and called over his shoulder as he skipped away, "Good… good, Gajeel." To which the iron dragon slayer felt an odd sense of pride and sadness.

"Master?" Makarov froze in mid-air of his skip, his heart giving a jump at the sound of the usually stiff mage. "I…" Gajeel stared at his feet. Why did he feel the way he did? "Ah… Nevermind." Makarov nodded with satisfaction and his toes barely touched the ground when they leapt away again.

Gajeel watched him go with a weight holding down his heart. When he tried to walk, his feet were sucked in by the greenish-blue wood. Something felt… different whenever he was around the master. Suddenly, one word popped into his mind.

_Guilt…_

The mage's head snapped up, shocked. "Guilt?" he repeated to himself, shuddering at what he scolded as 'weakling's words'. Then, feeling he needed to do something to calm his prideful nerves: "I feel guilty, around a tiny mite like that? Hah!"


	2. Chapter 2 Gajeel Goes to the Park!

**Chapter 2: Gajeel Goes to the Park**

"Take that! And… that!"

"What kind of punch is that? _This_ is how a real man fights!"

"Ice Make: Hammer!"

"Aaaahhh!"

"Stop it, you guys!"

Yes, the guild was still battling to their fighting-will-tank's content. Erza was the one who had just demanded that they stop, with a roll of her eyes. Sighing at the boys who ignored her comment, she grabbed them by the collars of their t-shirts (Grey by the hair because, once again, he'd stripped) and screamed, "STOP OR I'LL KILL YOU!" Instantly the guild froze, and Lucy winced. They all knew she meant it… or at least, she would pound them to the ground. Of course, the rowdy bunch calmed down… for a moment.

As soon as Erza's glaring and screeching and slapping was done and she left the guild to go fix her Million Swords armour, they began punching again.

Lucy groaned and face palmed.

"STOP IT!" cried a voice above them. It sounded thick, cold and slippery.

"Erza's back!" screamed Grey and Natsu, bonking their heads together and returning to their Best Buddies act.

"Real men d-don't cower in front of the l-ladies…"

"Also, it's not Erza. The voice is deeper and not as terrifying!" The latter was false.

"I said, _stop it!"_ repeated the speaker in a low voice. They all turned around.

"Gajeel, the newbie metallic dragon slayer," whispered Lucy. Natsu narrowed his eyes in the excited, boyish way he had and ran his tongue along his teeth, hoping to taste some iron blood soon. Indeed, the serious mage was moving down the stairs to their right, his eyes drawn away from the buzzing crowd with their fists in midair as if they were too babyish or weak for his liking. The guild felt pressed to be silent as the slayer arrived at the bottom of the steps and paused in front of the many eyes.

"Let's fight!" Natsu exclaimed, breaking the silence.

"Go kiss a llama. Master said I'm in charge. Got that?" Everyone gasped.

"Yeah, right," Grey sniffed, rolling his eyes. "Like he'd ever assign an important role like that to you, a newbie and a snob." Juvia gaped at the mage she both loved and admired. Did he really hate new people? She fought to hold back her tears and instead tore her eyes away from the casual ice mage and onto her old friend, Gajeel.

"You're a snob, and a bore!" Gajeel shouted at Gray.

"N-no he isn't!" Juvia defended shyly.

"Be quiet, Juvia. I thought you were on my side."

"B-but I _love – _Ah, I mean I –"

"Whatever."

"Don't you 'whatever' a friend!" hissed Grey, stepping between the slayer and Juvia (who was about to faint). Gajeel simply kicked the ice mage and snickered as Grey crumpled to the floor. Juvia rushed to his side.

"You guys behave yourselves," Gajeel warned. "I'm going out now, and if I come back and the sight don't please me…" The guild froze at his trailing remark. "Gihi," Gajeel said, and walked out of the guild.

~ o ~

"Hey, blunette!" called a voice. Levy woke up, startled.

"Huh?" she mumbled, tossing on her back. Who was calling the 'blunette'? Then she remembered that her hair was blue. Sitting up, Levy looked around. The park was as peaceful as it had been that morning. Dainty blue robins chirped merrily, and the softened breeze whistled through the branches of the nearby trees; the atmosphere was peaceful, perfect for her private picnic. Who had interrupted her small, contented nap?

"Yeah, you!" laughed the voice, again. Levy was puzzled. There was no one around, so how…? Then, staring closer at the trees to her left, she spotted a tall, shadowy figure leaning against a giant oak. That was as far as she could manage to spy. Was it a girl, or a boy? It _sounded_ like a boy, but she couldn't tell for sure. Levy shook her head and wondered what it wanted with her. It grinned, pleased that she had finally noticed it. Levy felt a shiver up her spine when she noticed it coming towards her. Soon he was stepping out of the dark, impossible shade of the tree and into the path of the sunlight. Scruffy, dirty-blonde hair, baggy clothes and six or seven piercings adorned the grinning silhouette. Yes, it was definitely a guy.

"I'm Gajeel Redfox." Levy blinked and studied the emerging figure intensely. Gajeel…? Wasn't that the silent, frightening newbie at the guild's name? The last name was the same, too. Levy could tell. She paid a lot of attention to names, being a solid script mage, after all.

But this smirking lad had hair unlike the jet-black, spiky do of the Gajeel back at the guild. Not to mention, but this youthful perk had less build that that of the Gajeel Levy knew… or at least, was only _slightly_ familiar with, as the guild newbie was oddly distant and only made little conversation with the master. That was most likely because of the trouble and harm that the dragon slayer had thrust upon certain beloved members of the guild, including Levy herself.

The lad looked surprised. "Uh, is something wrong? Do I have anything on my face… my clothes?" He winced and studied his clothes. Levy laughed.

"No, no. It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I.." How could she answer that? "I don't have to tell you, do I?" blurted out the clumsy-worded mage. She instantly wanted to take back her outburst, but the lad only chuckled.

"Then, can you at least tell me your name?" At this Levy was taken aback. She knew not to trust strangers, but surely a polite, cheery lad such as this…

"It's Erza," she quickly said, then felt like face-palming. _Erza? Where did I come up with that! She's gonna blow up when I tell her this._

"Ah. Just like Miss Titania! Come to think of it, you do look about her age," he added, cocking his head.

"Yes, that's me!" _Ugh, Erza's gonna fry me when I get back to the guild…_

"Oh? Oh, yes, no wonder." Now he looked frightened and glanced around hastily.

_Wait a second. Was he going to…? _Levy shivered and decided to keep on playing the role. Smiling sweetly, she leaned forward and said, "Now, if you'll excuse me…" She settled back and began to pick up her things.

"N-no! I mean… why don't we have lunch together? I know you're from Fairy Tail, and I'm formerly from, ah, – that is, I…" Now he was flustered, and turned away. Levy drew one step closer, carefully.

"Wait... Isn't Erza's hair supposed to be the colour of fire?" she heard him mutter, a devilish gleam in the corner of his eye. Levy now realized that he truly _was not _Gajeel Redfox, nor did he mean any good. As she hastily turned to leave, he grabbed her arm.

~ o ~

Gajeel kicked at a stone and sent it flying through the frosty air. He stuck his hands in his pockets to keep them warm instead of turning them into iron poles, which would lower his magical energy and besides, didn't metal attract cold? He shrugged, having not been thoroughly educated.

The buzz of Magnolia's commoners rang in his ears all around the flea market he was passing on his way to… well, nowhere in particular. The wild chatter annoyed him, but he knew it was wiser to settle for it than to erupt into thrashing dragon mode. Obviously the guild was more rowdy than this. Still, he was bothered, and quickened his pace as to escape from the business of the flea markets and enter another part of town as soon as possible.

Soon he arrived at a lush, quiet area. Magnolia's famous cherry trees sprung in full bloom in the springtime, even on this rainy day in April, and Gajeel paused to admire the gorgeous rainbows of colour the blossoms' dainty petals reflected. Then he shook his head and slapped himself. _Studying flowers is girlish,_ he scolded himself. _Don't be like all those weakling mages in Fairy Tail. _He turned away.

Suddenly, Gajeel heard a girl screaming in the distance. He lifted his head toward the right and noticed the sound came from a large meadow with brilliant colours. A squat, wooden sign read, _Magnolia Park _in bold, block letters. He tried to ignore the shrieks and told himself that it was simply more noise, but to no avail. Gajeel harrumphed, and strained to tell exactly where it was coming from. Closing his eyes, he started to walk in the direction of the voice, slowly at first, then rushing faster and faster as the screams became more constant. He could tell he was going in the right place because the sound was louder than before. _Hold on_, he begged in his mind to the screaming lass before he could stop himself, and abruptly turned a corner in the park… and paused.

There, in the middle of a barren clearing surrounded by trees, stood a grinning, cocky male who was dragging a squealing blunette by her hair.


	3. Chapter 3: Gajeel Meets Levy

**Chapter 3: Gajeel Meets Levy**

"C'mon, let's have some fun," hissed the male.

"D-don't," begged the lass softly. He ignored her and tugged ruthlessly at her hair. "Ow!" Gajeel stiffened and pondered over whether or not to help. He wasn't exactly the _helpful_ type…

"Ooh, um… Solid Script: Scissors!" Gajeel watched, amazed, as tiny metal letters, sharp and pointy, suddenly appeared. The girl looked hopeful as they started snipping away at her hair, growing larger in the meanwhile. The man laughed and waved his free hand. Instantly, the growing font vanished without a trace.

The girl gaped. "What? Stop! P-please, no!"

"You want to know my real name? Maybe you've heard of me before," cackled the man. "Just call me… _Bora of Prominence!"_

Gajeel gasped. _Bora? Perfect timing! I've got a score to settle with that guy. Gihi…_ The iron dragon slayer rushed into the clearing without a second thought.

~ o ~

"Don't look at me like that. How can you change my mind?" Bora chuckled and twisted and played with the blunette's hair. _Hah! She must be shocked… from the kindly appearance of a gentleman's creed to my despicable, invincible true self! It's almost a pity I have to do this,_ the man added in his head_…but for money, even the toughest lovebird can be slayed!_

"No! Ow!" she moaned. Bora snickered.

_Crrraaaack._

Bora paused and glanced around. No one else was there... right? The girl took use of the distraction and before Bora could think she'd jerked her foot up to the back of his knee so that his legs buckled underneath him. With an agonizing whoop, she ripped the hair from his tight grasp and leaped on top of him, pushing him down with her arms.

Through gritted teeth, she hissed, and Bora scowled. For a second he was caught off guard at the slim girl whose body had leaned over his and was now jeering streams of hatred his way which, in his hazy daydream, slipped in one ear and out the other. Then, sensing a way out, he smiled wickedly and suddenly spat in her face.

"Ewww!" She lifted an arm to wipe her face, and Bora quickly rolled out from underneath her. He grabbed her by the hair again and forced her back against a tree so there was no way out. "Ha! Now... what is your name?"

"L-Lev- Wait. Why should I tell you?" she sniffed.

"Levy? Ah, the solid script mage. I should've realized from the solid script you pulled. Fortunately, I, a ring and enchantment mage, have the upper hand against _you_," he added, giving a wide, exaggerated sweep of an arm. Gajeel noticed the many glinting, round objects that blinked and flashed, strung on the smirking ring mage's slender fingers. The dragon slayer noticed a certain hard, rough block ring that encircled Bora's right thumb. It was simple, drab silver in colour yet Gajeel felt drawn to the odd-looking ring and knew immediately that it was the device that had whisked away Levy's magic.

Levy gasped and frowned. Gajeel sighed. He might as well jump in now. Stealthily, using his dragon-slayer instincts to keep from making any obviously detectable noises, the mage crept through the bush and into the clearing, behind Bora's back. Levy caught his eye, and he gestured for her not to make any indication of his presence. The girl nodded bravely.

Then, he pounced. Gajeel grinned and sucked in any air around him. "Iron Dragon's Breath!" he muttered, and a fearful, powerful gust of iron breath drilled into Bora's back.

"AGH!" He dropped the girl's hair and whipped around, his knees buckling. Gajeel was relieved to notice that Levy dashed out from behind him as soon as his grip loosened. Leaning against the tree to steady himself. Bora frowned.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere?" he mumbled under his breath. Gajeel spread a smile as wide as the Cheshire Cat's, so that his four fangs showed among his two, neat, rows of dagger-sharp pearly whites.

"I'm sure you have," the dragon slayer said, as he dove in for the kill. Before Bora could react, he'd taken hold of his throat and was pounding fist after fist into his gut. Bora screamed and moaned, clutching his stomach and yelping.

"Weak tea," Gajeel scoffed, standing back and folding his arms.

"Ga-_Gajeel_!" exclaimed Bora weakly, raising a fist at his 'old friend'. Gajeel sniggered.

"I always knew you were a wimp," he scoffed. Bora's eyes blazed in anger, but of course he could do nothing. The girl, Levy, took a startled step forward.

"You - you know each other?" she was puzzled. Obviously she knew that they had old grudges towards each other, but the reason? How'd they meet? What was their past together? Were they still friends? Why did one of them harm me and one of them save me? The questions were whirling in her brain like a mind-wobbling sandstorm.

"Yeah, whatever," came the cool reply. Levy frowned. So the second, real Gajeel from Phantom - now Fairy Tail, was unfriendly, huh? Levy realized with disappointment that _Gajeel_ had probably only jumped into the scene to 'get back' at his rival, Bora of Prominence.

"We go waay back, right, Gajeel?" Bora said eagerly. "You wouldn't hurt an old friend..."

"You hurt Gren."

"That was a long time ago, pal." Levy noticed the ring mage was twitching nervously.

"You. Hurt. Gren!"

"Oh be quiet, ironhead."

"Who're ya callin' ironhead!" Levy shook her head at the two, who had started fist-fighting like little children, although it was obvious that ironhead number 1 was winning. _Speaking of ironhead_, she thought with amusement. _that Gajeel has metal piercings on his forehead, his arm... Weird!_

The two mages were rolling around on the ground, bringing up dust that made Levy choke. "S-stop it!" she cried, moving toward them and prying them apart with surprising strength. Gajeel and Bora were speechless at her sudden forcefulness, and after a moment one of them opened their mouths cautiously at the lady who was standing between them.

"Oh, no you don't!" she said, waving a finger in Bora's startled face. "Now. You. Will. Tell. Me. What. This. Is. All. About!"

The two men looked at each other with hatred in their eyes. Gajeel frowned.

"Why should I?" they said in unison, and then glared at each other again.

"_BECAUSE I TOLD YOU TO!_" shrieked Levy at the top of her lungs. There was silence for a moment.

"Alright, alright," muttered Bora, lifting his hands in defeat.

"Wimp," smirked Gajeel, and Levy shot him a look that quieted him.

"We met three years ago, in the mountains" Bora said suddenly. Levy looked at him with interest. "We were both in guilds then; I in Titan Nose, and Gajeel, Phantom Lord. We were on the same mission; to find a precious jewel that the hirer had lost some weeks ago on his trip to the mountains. We found it at the same time, and we both claimed it as ours..." His voice trailed off.

"Then _Weak tea_ snatched it in secret that night and ran off with it."

"Then what's with this feud? He did the right thing, although you didn't have to fight in the first place," Levy began, but Gajeel stared sternly at her, and she shut up like a clam. He glanced at Bora, then began again.

"He stole it."

"W-what?"

"He stole it, and got kicked out of Titan Nose when they found it under his bed in his dorms!" exclaimed Gajeel with a cackling triumph.

"It's your fault and always will be," muttered Bora. Gajeel glared at him and raised a fist, preparing. Levy just sat there, frozen.

"It... was all over Bora's being expelled?" she started to laugh. The mages looked at her and frowned.

"It's not funny!" shouted Bora, waving his arms in anger.

"It had nothing to do with me! Even if I hadn't been there, that wimp would've taken it and ran away with it!"

"Don't blame it on me! You know it's all your fault!" They continued spatting put-downs and blames and if it weren't for Levy, one of them would have a bloody nose and a black eye by now.

"You are ridiculous!" she exclaimed, and started laughing again. The two stopped and stared at her again.

"Talk about ridiculous," mumbled Bora but they stood still and waited.

Levy took a deep breath. "Why don't you just let _me_ decide who's in the right?" The mages looked at each other.

"Why'd we trust you?" Bora mumbled.

"You're just scared she'll say I'm right," came the swift reply.

"Am not! What makes you think that?" Bora turned on his heel to the solid-script mage. Levy smiled and nodded at Gajeel, who swiftly dove over and pinned Bora to the tree. Levy took a large, happy step over to the ring mage, and plucked all his rings from his fingers, dug out some more from his pant pockets, and grabbed the rest out of Bora's shoes. Gajeel grinned and let go. Bora stumbled away from the dragon slayer and the solid script mage (who was looking with gloating interest over his stolen rings and muttering things under her breath in puzzlement) and rubbed at his wrists, where Gajeel had pinned him. He stuck out a tongue at the two when they weren't looking. He hated the dragon for his cocky attitude and winner's ways, and that girl - was it just him, or did she seem to have a troublemaker's glint in her wide eyes? He vowed to himself that he would have revenge. _Watch out, my friends. Soon, you will taste the cold steel of my heart._

_Soon._


	4. Chapter 4: Rules and Suspicion

**Chapter 4: Revenge**

"Rats! He left before we could punish him!" Levy exclaimed, suddenly noting the absence of their 'prisoner'. Gajeel waved off her words.

"I think he's been punished enough, seeing as we took all the rings he was carrying. I'll... _catch up_ with him later..." he cackled with a terrifying grin. Levy shivered.

"We could sell these rings at a magic shop downtown, in the Magnolia flea market," Levy suggested, to which the dragon slayer scowled.

"I just so happen to hate that place," Gajeel muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"No, nothing," he interjected hastily. "Let's go."

~ o ~

"Y'know, Lushy," Natsu said thoughtfully. Lucy steamed.

"It's LUCY, you big maggot!" she hissed, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever." Natsu shrugged. "Anyway, I was thinking, it's been a while since Team Natsu's gone on a mission, the whole lot of us, right?"

"Right," Lucy agreed. Erza shook her head.

"If this is leading to where I think it's leading..." She got up from her seat and towered over the table, her scarlet hair electrified in the air. Natsu gulped.

"N-no, it's not that I want to disband the team or anything!" he gasped hastily. Erza gave a creepy smile and sat back down.

"So, what is it?" Lucy took up the courage to ask, glancing tentatively at the smirking ex-quip mage.

"Why don't we go on another mission, sissies?" he suggested.

"If you're asking in a formal way like this, I think something seems fishy," Erza said.

"Fish?" Happy came swooping over.

"No, not fish! I said fishy! As in, something seems fishy!" Happy slumped onto the bench in disappointment.

"You don't have to get all riled up for something like that," muttered Lucy, her heart pounding. Erza glared at her, then smiled sweetly at Natsu, "Go on." Natsu gulped.

"A-anyway, I've already chosen which one..." he mumbled cautiously, and drew out a large piece of parchment. Erza took it from him and her face suddenly turned blue, then white.

"Is something wrong?" Lucy asked cluelessly. Erza's mouth opened, then closed.

"I... Natsu, this is - We can't!"

"Why not? It pays really well."

Lucy snatched the paper from them and read: "LOST RING! PLEASE FIND!" Details were scrawled messily underneath, as if whoever had been writing it was in a hurry. Lucy squinted to read the tiny script:

Ring description: rose gold, with rose imprint (it was my mother's, her name was Rose)

If interested please apply at my house on Applegreen Drive, which is in the town of Jambo.

Reward: 2,000 JEWELS

"Looks like the hirer is throwing away so much money for only a ring." scoffed Natsu. "This should be easy; a little effort with a lot of money!"

"It must be very important if he's paying so well," Lucy observed.

"I smell something fishy," Erza repeated.

"There's nothing fishy about Natsu choosing such a profitable job, and there's nothing fishy about paying a lot for a ring that is likely one the owner finds dear," Lucy said.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Erza sighed and nodded. "Let's go find Grey, then." She would come along, but she would be on the lookout for anything suspicious.

~ o ~

"Where've ya beeeeeeen~!" chorused two voices, the owners of the voices bonking their heads together. Levy scowled. How annoying! Did Jet and Droy really think she wanted them around, being overly protective of her and cracking weird jokes to impress her, all the time? That nonsense was the reason she had escaped to the park in the first place. She felt a cold hand clasp her shoulder, and looked up to see Gajeel's silver teeth - _fangs_ - glinting at her. She shuddered. This stranger... was terrifying, even _if_ he was the one who saved her...

Jet and Droy frowned. "Let go of her, you nutcase!" Jet said, shaking a finger.

"Yeah! You heard us!" added Droy.

"Shut up," said Gajeel, low and menacing. He let go of Levy, who felt oddly cold once he did so.

"Y-you guys," Levy began, but it was too late. The threesome were in the middle of a huge fistfight, right in the doorway of the guild! "Why don't you stop... please," she begged, but they were too involved to hear her.

"How dare you hang around with our Levy," shouted Droy. "Take that!"

"That's right," Jet hissed. "I'll bet you were out somewhere, trying to find Levy. What'd ya do ta her?"

"It's not worth fighting you guys," retorted Gajeel, and pushed them away.

Levy felt somehow relieved when she noticed the fighting had ceased... but not for long. Her fellow members of Shadow Gear took one look at the back of the retreating dragon slayer, glanced at each other, nodded, and pounced. Gajeel, with a roll of his eyes, whipped around and greeted them each with a punch in the gut. As Levy watched them reeling on the floor, curled up like shrimps, Gajeel snatched the chance and whisked away. "Weak tea," he scoffed to himself as he stalked off.

"Jet, Droy... you guys OK?" Levy asked, trying hard not to chuckle.

"Y-yeah, anything for you. It was nothing! We'll get him next time," assured Droy, his face twisting in obvious pain. Levy sighed as Jet joined in, agreeing.

"That ironhead! So full of himself," croaked Jet, trying to sound big and superior but really only the weak-headed fool that he was, especially in this kind of situation. Levy sighed again.

"You guys, I don't mind you fighting for me - but please don't do it again, alright?" She tried to sound as nice as she could, but one half of her was nagging her to laugh, and the other side tugged at her to scream and scold. "I'm..." she took a deep breath. "I'm really disappointed in you two." Jet and Droy stopped moaning and looked at each other, pain in their eyes. She glanced away from them and went on. "Fighting just for me when your opponent is innocent.. that's wrong. And I don't want it to happen again!"

"..Innocent? How can you say that? He _destroyed_ our guild and hurt all three of us!" fumed Jet, leaping up from the ground. "I don't know why Master allowed him to join Fairy Tail anyway, after all of that."

"Can't you be quiet and listen to me? Now, tell me: if I ever did anything to hurt you guys, would you forgive me if I asked?"

"Of course, but that ironhead never asked," Jet said, seeing what was coming. Levy heaved a big breath and tried to keep her temper under control.

"He is asking... in his own way. A man's pride is something to be valued, isn't it?" Jet and Droy exchanged glances. "He's not about to come kneeling and begging to be forgiven, but he is trying his best to fit in with everyone. Can't you see how hurt he is to be left out? No one is accepting him, and your unjust actions aren't helping!" Levy suddenly realized she was shouting, but she couldn't stop. "Why do I have such ungrateful friends! You could at least be friendly!" She gave a Look to each of them, and for a moment the three sat in awkward silence.

"Y-you're right," Droy said quietly, pain in his voice. "We weren't thinking. I promise to do my best and-" his voice choked "-if you want to do missions with iro- ah, I mean, Gajill... Gajeel? ...then I guess that's OK."

"What? Since when did I say I was forming a team with that ironhead?" exploded Levy, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well you seemed so intent on being his friend and all-" Levy started to laugh. "Hey! There's nothing funny about that!" Droy looked hurt, and Levy struggled to control her laughter.

"Alright," Levy gasped after a moment, a few giggles escaping before she was calm again. "Now," she said, regaining her serious mode. "Here are the rules:

"One: I want you two to keep your tempers under control. If you trust me, then you will know that I can take good care of myself.

"Two: No matter how much Gajeel gets on your nerves, keep you fists and your words to yourself, alright? I can handle him without anyone else's help.

"Three: Let me have some time to myself! A girl needs to be with her girlfriends sometimes, or otherwise alone, reading a good book and settling by herself.

"Four: Uh... Actually I think that's it," Levy said, blinking. She looked up at her friends. Jet and Droy looked sad. After an awkward moment, Jet spoke up.

"Levy... I never knew you didn't want us around that much. We really like to be around you. We thought that you liked it when we fought for you," he said, turning his back to wipe away an unwanted tear.

"Y-yeah..." Droy whispered, his fingers twitching. Levy felt a sudden feeling of fright. Did they really think she didn't want them as her friends? Sure, it could be annoying whenever they butted in like that, but...

"Hey, I never said that you can't be my friends," she said soothingly. "I mean, no matter what, we'll always be team Shadowgear, right?"

The boys were quiet for a second, then burst into smiles. "Yeah!" Levy grinned.

"Let's do our signature Shadowgear signal!" she cried. "Three, two, one..."

"_Umbra Apparatus!"_*they shouted, pumping their left fist in front of them and clutching their left upper arm with their right hands. "_Aeternum!_"*

No one noticed Jet's hardened face.


	5. Chapter 5: ThreeWay Trouble

**Chapter 5: Three-way Trouble**

"I think this is the right place," Lucy said, looking up at a large, towering mansion. "Should I knock?" She stepped up to the two main doors and raised her fist.

"Nah, let's go find something to eat first, then the job," Erza said. _We should take a look around; maybe I'll find something interesting... or a clue to my uneasiness._

"Sure! I think that famous restaurant with the flame-broiled chicken is around the corner over there," Natsu suggested, leaping away. Grey snatched the back of his collar.

"Flame-broiled chicken is broiled with flames, not covered in fire!" Grey corrected, rolling his eyes.

"Let go!" Natsu grimaced, slashing at Gray's arm. Erza quickly jumped in.

"_Stop it, you two!_" she hissed in a low voice. Lucy sweat-dropped as the two boys jumped back into their "Best Buddies" mode. "Now," she continued in a normal tone. "we passed a B-B-Q diner a while back and it looked nice. C'mon!" The diner was a nice one, on the edge of town, as far away from the mansion as it could be. _Perfect choice, Erza,_ Erza thought. _We'll be able to scout the whole town before arriving there._

They strode down the streets, passing many things and people. At one point Grey snatched a little girl's ice cream cone, and Erza made him apologize quite a bit to stall time, both to the girl and her parents. Then when Lucy spotted the "cutest sweater" in one of the shops, Erza consented (much to Natsu's wondering). As Erza waited for Lucy to come out of the shop (the boys had gone with Lucy), she sat on a bench outside the store and scanned the area. Children played on the cobblestones, and a few shops were setting up sidewalk vendors to attract customers.

"Hey."

Erza's head snapped up, and her hands automatically reached for her hidden sword. In front of her stood a smirking man with dark hair and handsome features. She gripped her sword.

"What do you want?" she demanded more roughly than she'd intended.

"You must be Erza the Titania," the man said thoughtfully, a gleam in his eye. He chuckled softly to himself, and Erza carefully watched for any sudden moves.

"Maybe, maybe not. Who're you?"

"No one in particular," he replied smoothly. "May I treat you and your party to lunch?" he suddenly offered.

Erza narrowed her eyebrows. "I don't go to lunch with strangers."_ How did he know I was with other people? Stalker...?_

The man laughed. "I'll introduce myself then."

"Erza!" Natsu, Grey, and Lucy approached her. Erza's eyes were still fixed on the stranger, who glanced over her shoulder toward the three. His eyes flickered with slight fear, then relaxed and moved back to her. "Please tell them to join us. Now... shall we?"

Erza paused, then, ignoring the man's outstretched palm, she gestured to her friends and followed the man away.

Lucy glanced tentatively at the man, and her head began to hurt. _Why do I have the feeling this isn't leading to something good? Have I seen that person before? Why can't I remember?_

"Luce?" Natsu looked worried. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lucy filled in hastily. "I'm fine. Come on, let's catch up to Erza... and that stranger." Natsu seemed doubtful, but shook his head and moved on.

~ o ~

Jet frowned as he followed Levy and Droy back into the guild. Why was Levy acting this way? Hadn't the three of them grown up together? She didn't need all those other people - that Lucy, most of all. And now Gajeel.

Jet stiffened as the trio sat down at a bench and Droy and Levy began chatting.

_What was I thinking, agreeing to those terms of hers? And why does Droy seem unfazed about all this? In fact, he's laughing. _Laughing!_... but even if he's OK with this, that doesn't mean that I have to follow those rules all the time, too. After all, a grudging agreement means no agreement at all, doesn't it? _His heart pumped, and he sighed as he realized he knew better. _Still..._

"Hi everybody!" A cheerful voice broke into this self-argument. Wendy skipped into the guild. Carla walked beside her, with a stone face and paws crossed.

"Hi, Wendy, Carla!" replied Levy and Droy. Not wanting to be left out, Jet gave a small, "Hi."

The small sky sorceress waved and the two headed to the bar where Mira Jane was wiping the counter. The demon takeover mage smiled sweetly.

"Hiiii!"

"Hiiii!" The two grinned at each other.

"What the...?" Droy leaned over and whispered to Jet, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"Just being weird, I guess," he grumbled.

~ o ~

"So what can I get you? A lemonade?" Mira's hand paused in the air.

"Iced tea, please," Wendy said.

"Great choice." Mira filled a glass, popped in a couple ice cubes, and handed it to Wendy. "Carla?"

"Just a glass of water."

"What's wrong, Carla?" Mira asked, noting the Exceed's distracted eyes as she poured water into a glass of water. Carla looked startled.

"I.. Nothing." Mira's face twisted, but she didn't press any more. Wendy, however, was suddenly aware of Carla's sad-looking face and as they walked away from the counter to join some friends, the Exceed's steps were weighed down like stone.

"There's something wrong, I know it," Wendy whispered to herself, concerned for her friend.


	6. Chapter 6: Troubles Revealed

**Chapter 6: Troubles Revealed**

Grey walked into a restaurant behind this friends with the strange man leading them. Erza was still ignoring his hand, but seemed willing to be treated to lunch with this... this mysterious no-name.

_If something is wrong, wouldn't Erza have told us? Why was she suspicious of this mission and not suspicious of this man? Is there something hidden in her actions? How about in his? _

Grey shook his head as he unconsciously sat down. There was something odd about the stranger - something that unnerved him and made his skin tingle. _Lucy senses it, too. I wonder what is bothering her? Most likely she feels the same way I do, or is there something else as well? Can I still trust anyone? _Ugh!_ Stop thinking weird thoughts, iceball,_ he scolded himself, but he was still worried. Goosebumps ran up and down his white arm, and he struggled to smile at the unwanted stranger.

~ o ~

"Aren't you going to take a drink from your glass?"

Carla's head snapped up to spy Wendy's questioning face. She gave a quick 180 and saw that Levy and her two hooligans were also staring at her.

"Y-yes, of course. Just thinking, that's all," she said quickly. Wendy gave her one last odd look, and turned back to one of the hooligans, the blonde one named Jet, to continue a small conversation.

Carla sighed. Why did she feel the way she did? Like there were ants crawling inside her stomach... and her paws were shaking!

_That male-cat!_ she hissed to herself. _Why am I so nervous whenever he's not around? I've never felt this way before. He's just an old tomcat, Carla. Just a dumb cat who's nothing special._

_Then what is this feeling in my heart? It couldn't be... could it?_

The female Exceed shivered. _No, _no_, NO! That's not possible. Think again, Carla. Maybe because he's a fellow Exceed. Right, that must be it. _

Then she moaned.

_Ai... I'm hopeless._

"Seriousy, Carla! I just asked you about your glass and I don't see any less water than there was five minutes ago," scolded Wendy, breaking into her thoughts.

Carla sighed again.

~ o ~

Erza sat stiffly in the inside of the booth, Natsu and Happy to her right, the stranger across from her, Grey sitting awkwardly beside him and Lucy sitting on an extra stool on the edge of the table. Erza noticed worriedly that the stellar spirit mage looked uncomfortable, raising her hand to her forehead, and kept making odd glances toward the stranger.

Just then, Mister Anonymous spoke.

"... So, Erza," he said, giving a wide smile and leaning forward across the table. "How are you today? Such a wonderful privilege for me to treat you and your party to lunch-"

"Cut with the pleasantries, _Monsieur_," Erza snapped, and waved her hand to draw his attention to the whole gang. "I'm sure we are all curious to know why you are here."

"That, my dear Erza, will have to wait until we can chat casually over our dishes," came the smooth reply. Erza twitched. Just _who _did he think he was? That bossy, snobby, too-slick know-it-all... The list could go on, but Erza knew she had to focus to get anything out of that mysterious man.

"Fine." She turned to her friends. "Is everyone ready to order, then?" Lucy nodded, Happy and Natsu said, "Aye!" and Gray just looked away. She sighed and waved for a waitress and they all gave their orders. Erza noticed that the stranger simply ordered a coffee; that was all. She made a mental note to ponder over that later.

Once the food arrived, the first thing she did was demand, "Now, why are you here?" The man looked like he wanted to stall it, but caught himself and leaned forward, fixing his gaze on Erza's.

_What enchanting colours,_ she found herself thinking as she lost herself in his gaze.

He smiled as if he could guess what she was thinking, then moved his eyes to look out the window at the street.

Then, he began.

~ o ~

Jet sat stiffly among his friends, listening to their voices chattering, bickering, laughing...

He wanted to join them.

But there was something in his rotten mood that held him back. It choked him, like long, black tentacles wrapping tightly around his throat, too tightly. It kept pulling his spirit down every time it stretched out its wings in preparation to soar. His weakness was keeping him down.

_Fear._ It was fear of being left alone, being forgotten by the only close friends he had - Droy, Levy... The three of them had grown up together, and if Levy kept growing so distant, Droy would be sure to follow, and then what of Shadowgear would be left? An empty black shell, that would be it. And among the ruins of the thin, black shell, would stand one tiny creature, charred to the bone. If he wanted to be happy again, and enjoy the time he still had with his friends, why shouldn't he? What was keeping him from being cheerful and laughing with his pals?

_Nothing._

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to break out of his mood. He'd heard somewhere a proverb that explained that bad moods enjoyed company. Jet shuddered. He knew it was true, and the more he told himself to stop being so grumpy, the more he wanted to feel that way.

The easiest path would be just to let himself stay moody.


	7. Chapter 7: Idiots of a Long Time Past

**Chapter 7: Idiots of a Long Time Past**

The restaurant had a strong, tempting aroma of meat and sauce, and Grey thought there was nothing better than the humongous, delicious bowl of spaghetti that sat primly in front of him, just waiting to be gobbled up. However, he turned his attention to the man who was speaking, knowing _this_, was very important indeed.

"A long time ago, I owned a fancy restaurant," the stranger said slowly. Lucy blinked.

"One day, after three successful, blooming years of managing this restaurant, I was suddenly overcome with the youthful feeling of hunger, hunger for adventure and the thrill of being able to say I was an inch away from death and survived, the one that hadn't come in my teenage years and suddenly engulfed me that moment. I sold the business, took my hat, and went of in search of some adventure.

"Eventually I came to a large mansion on the edge of this town, Jambo. Above the vast doorway hung a faded wooden sign: _ Foxy's Jewelry_. Starving and weary, I entered the mansion, hoping that this Foxy was a kind man and would spare a room for the night and a meal. Instead, I found that the mansion was empty; there was nothing save for an abandoned black cat that slinked out of and back into the shadows as I came in. Heavy grey tarps, covered in dust, covered simple pieces of furniture. Then I heard it."

"Heard w-what?" Lucy whispered, her eyes wide. Grey snickered, but Erza shushed her and motioned for the man to continue.

"I heard..." he paused to add dramatic effect. "a noise like that of the wind's, blowing gently through the heavy, dry air. A whoosh of wind, just like that, whipped past my skin. Now I had closed the front door and no visible windows were open, so I knew that either there was an open window or a crack to let in air somewhere or..." He paused, this time his eyes closing dramatically. At first Grey thought it was for emphasis, and he sniffed, but then he realized the man wasn't play-acting - something was up.

_Or...?_ He willed the stranger to keep speaking.

"There was someone nearby."

An eerie silence hung like a thick blanket, hovering over the booth and its consumers.

"Who... who was it?" Lucy said slowly, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Grey felt the same.

"It was Foxy."

"Oh, the man who was in charge of the mansion - ah, jewelry shop...?" Natsu began, then got confused and started muttering oddly to Happy, who shrugged. Grey rolled his eyes. "Well, yes... and no," the man chuckled. "He was really a _she_, and the jewelry shop was long out of business," he explained. "The jewelry shop was, as I found out from her later, a family-owned jewel trade and occupied a small area of the main floor."

"What was she like?" Erza asked a question for the first time in the conversation.

"Ah.. Foxy was her last name - her first name was Rose." Erza's mouth dropped open slightly, and Natsu stopped his conversation with Happy.

"What?"

"Ehh..." The man blushed and ran a hand down the back of his head and grinned a sheepish smile. "Yeah..."

"Wait. So you're our business person?" Gray said in a low voice. He preferred to keep his missions a silent business rather than have supposed eavesdroppers find out more than they needed.

"...so you're our hirer, you found this lady's shop and home, and the lady turns out to be your sister? That doesn't make any sense," Natsu said in a loud voice.

_Argh... what doesn't make sense is _you_ being so loud! Do you really want people to listen in on our private business exchanges? _Gray thought darkly.

"Well... not exactly. She adopted me as her brother, and I took care of her as if she was my blood sister. I am indeed the person who hired the four of you mages... although, I might add, I didn't expect so many of you to come," he muttered under his breath.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Grey challenged coolly.

"Yeah, 'the more the stronger', isn't it?" Natsu put in, not willing to be outdone by his eternal rival.

"Ya got it mixed up, you dimwit," Grey muttered.

"Who're you calling a dimwit?"

"Natsu, Grey, stop it! The whole restaurant is staring at us!" squealed Lucy, face-palming. It took a while, but eventually she and Erza got the boys back in their seats, although you could still practically see the steam rising from their ears. The man sweat-dropped.

"Ahh, so, eh, we can move on, yes?" he blinked nervously, wiping sweat from his forehead. Natsu's attention was immediately diverted to him.

"So now you've got a French accent, huh? Oohh," Natsu said, cocking his head with one eye bulging out. Grey sighed. He guessed it was a good thing to creep out the man, but he was overdoing it a bit. Besides, wasn't this guy their hirer?

"N-no, I mean, noooo." The startled stranger gave an awkward giggle, and Lucy gaped at this odd gentleman with a girlish inside attitude...

_Ew..._ Grey could read her reaction from Lucy's eyes and the soft blush of embarrassment quickly dusting her cheeks. Her eyes said clearly, _This man is an idiot._

He glanced at Erza, who was impatiently unaware of the silent chaos and had her mouth set in a thin, firm line. "Just get on with the explanation already, darnit," Grey heard her hiss under her breath. He blinked.

"Uh, you know, we can move on now... right?" Grey said, trying to pry the hysterical Natsu away from the giggly brat-stranger.

"Ehh, he's not worth it anyway," grumbled Natsu, darting a glare at the stranger and then at Grey. He plopped back beside Happy, who tried to calm him down.

"Thank you," the hirer said quickly, giving Natsu a wary look. Then he cleared his throat and went back to business. "So basically, on the first birthday I had with her, she gave me a ring - a ring of rose gold that was extremely precious to her. It was a simple one, dusted with the faint, lovely colour of palest pink, and the imprint of a rose delicately carved on its surface." Grey spied Lucy sighing with contentment at the end of the table.

"So basically you lost it and you want us to find it, right?" Erza broke in, obviously not caring about any ring, beautiful or not.

"Ah? ...Y-yes, of course," he said almost hesitantly. Grey felt uneasy. It was as if this man had forgotten the purpose of the job - was there something else hidden inside his words?


	8. Chapter 8: Some Things Brewing

**Chapter 8: Some Things Brewing**

Carla sat quietly as Wendy chatted merrily with the people at their table; Jet, Droy, Levy, and Mira Jane and Lisanna, who'd come over. Mira was telling a story about one of her third cousins twice removed, Thaddeus, who'd climbed the rainbow. Carla thought this fantasy-type story was useless, but of course she was polite enough to stay quiet during a story-telling.

"...so the squirrel said to him, 'What creature are you?' since all the inhabitants of the Sky World had never seen a human being before. He opened his mouth to answer, but the squirrel suddenly gasped at his bright blonde hair and flashing rainbow-coloured eyes. 'You must be a god!' it cried, and quickly gestured for Thad to follow it. As it led That through a winding path of stones and weeds, they suddenly came to the place where the forest ended. The land here was lush and green, with wispy white and pink clouds floating sleepily here and there..."

Levy let out a content sigh. "Oh, if only I could go there one day. It sounds like such a nice place!"

"Yeah," agreed Lisanna, nodding. "And the animals could speak, too! How neat is that?"

"It's not neat, it'd be awesome!" said Wendy, her eyes gleaming. Carla sniffed.

"Some of us _already can _speak. Although I wouldn't call us cheap animals," she added snootily.

"Yes, of course we know that, but I'm sure you can understand that Exceeds are still animals," Droy explained. Carla was miffed.

"Hmph! How dare he," she mumbled moodily. Droy, as sensitive as always (especially in the face of Levy), was instantly sorry.

"I didn't mean it that way, Carla..." he started to get up from his seat. Jet rolled his eyes and pulled Droy back down.

"Just go on with the story," Levy put in quickly, sensing growing tensity. Mira nodded and opened her mouth. "After a moment of breathing in the cool, sweet air..."

Carla tuned out the rest and instead drowned herself in her thoughts. _Happy... what are you doing right now? Do you know how I am feeling? Why do I feel this way?_

_I remember when I first met all of you. We were on that quest to find and defeat Nirvana. I accompanied Wendy to the meeting place, and saw the Fairy Tail representatives, including you. _

_Your face seemed to light up when you noticed me. I'm sorry that I was so proud. Why did I act that way? In Edolas, you saved me and protected me. You always offered me fish. You tried to encourage me when I looked down. And I always pushed you away._

_I'm sorry. I hope you are alright._

~ o ~

The man sighed inwardly as he scanned over the partly puzzled, partly bored party of four, excluding the (also bored) cat. _Blue fur - what's with that?_ he thought, straining not to laugh.

"So basically," he explained. "I think I lost it in my home."

"That's so simple," yawned the pink-haired one, stretching his arms. The man winced as his hand knocked over a cup and spilled droplets of grapefruit juice onto the table. "Just get in your house, look around, and..." He waved his arms in little circles. "ta-da! Job done."

"Yeh, not really worth that much money," observed the dark-haired, cold-eyed, unfriendly one. The man scowled. _They're smarter than I thought, especially the stripper. I'll have to watch out for him, even _if_ I'm the undefeatable-_

"Are you sure that huge sum wasn't a typo?" said the familiar blonde innocently. _Lucy Heartfilia, wasn't it? Right._

"No, it wasn't a mistake. Ah... you see this is a _very_ precious ring of mine, and I must find it!" the man broke in quickly before any more could be said. "There's no problem with treasuring a late relative's gifts, is there?"

Erza nodded slowly and calmly. The man quickly searched for any doubt in her eyes, but they were clear and hard, impossible to detect. "Fine. Bring us to your mansion and we'll get the job done."

He nodded, relieved, and pushed his way out of the booth after the rising four mages. His plan would work, perfectly. All he needed to do now was to spring the trap.

_Heh... I sure am a clever one, aren't I? After all, I'm the invincible Bora of Prominence..._

~ o ~

Levy walked down the dusty Main Street of Magnolia toward the town library. As she listened to the _clip, clop_ of her sandals on stone beneath her, a voice suddenly called out.

"Levy!" She whisked around. Was it that Bora guy, trying to trick her again? No. There was Jet, with his bright orange hair and familiar hat and fur-rimmed cloak.

"Hey, Jet!" she answered happily, stopping so that he could catch up. Jet looked serious and his eyes were solemn.

"Uh... is something wrong?" Levy asked slowly. She didn't feel comfort in Jet's unsettled gaze.

"About what you said today," he burst out, then caught himself and immediately shifted his head away. Levy was worried. _What could be wrong? Why is he so distant?_

"I..."

"You...?"

"I don't get it!" Jet exclaimed, placing his gaze back on hers. His eyes were full of worry, and was that fear? Yes. It was _definitely _fear. Levy shuddered.

Levy forced herself to laugh. "I think it's me who's the one who doesn't get it." Jet didn't return her cheery mood.

"I thought I was your friend! Why did you turn on me like that? On _us_ like that. Yet Droy seems so cool with it. Why can't I act like that? To be happy for you, to willingly give you space, I-" He stopped there, embarrassed. His cheeks were flushed red and he'd practically thrust off his cloak in his frustration. Levy blinked, and suddenly her mind was filled with memories...

*_FLASHBACK_*

_She walked down the street, clutching her teddy bear and her favourite book. The air was still and quiet. She was lost in the abandoned street, with nowhere to go, no one to comfort her. Suddenly, a soft noise interrupted the still air. She stopped. It came from an alley to her left. Automatically, her feet moved on their own, travelling down the dark, musty tunnel. The sobs grew, and she soon came to the cause. She pushed away a few cracked carts and peeked behind them. A dark-haired boy hunched over his knees, rapidly wiping at his eyes. She coughed. He looked up._

"_Who are you?" he whispered, blinking back tears. She paused._

"_I'm Levy. How about you?" Levy asked. _

"_I... I'm Droy."_

"_Why are you crying?"_

"_Because - I don't have a home or friends or anything!" he said, and started crying again._

"_N-niether do I. You want to be friends?" she said suddenly. Droy stopped crying, surprised._

"_Yeah! We can work together," he said, his eyes brightening with hope. Levy grinned._

"_Can I, too?" said a small voice. Levy and Droy paused and looked around, bewildered. Then they spotted him._

_He had orange hair, growing in dirty tufts. Shaggy clothes was all he wore. His eyes reminded Levy of a frightened animal, and instantly melted her heart._

"_Of course!" she said, delighted. "Three is best, isn't it?"_

"_You really think so?" the boy said. _

"_Sure we do!" Droy nodded. "What's your name?"_

"_...Can you call me Jet? I don't like my real name. It's too confusing and long."_

"_Jet it is, then," Levy said. Droy suddenly came up with an idea._

"_Let's make a team!"_

"_Yeah! We could call us _Shadowgear_, since we met in this shadowy alley," suggested Levy._

"_Okay!" the boys said. Levy noticed that Jet had lost his animal look and had tears in his eyes._

"_I'm so happy," he whispered._

"_Don't worry, Jet. We'll always be together," Levy promised._

_*END OF FLASHBACK*_

"Oh Jet," Levy whispered, suddenly understanding. "I promised we'd always be together, right? I'm not about to dump you guys. And there's nothing wrong with feeling sad. It's natural when anyone is trying to let go, right?"

Jet nodded, and the hard, cold glaze melted from his eyes. He smiled.

"Thanks, Levy." Levy returned the smile.

"Come on, let's go find Droy and do a team job, okay?"

"Yeah!" Jet pumped his fist in the air and bolted down the street.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Levy puffed after him.


	9. Chapter 9: Lucy Remembers

**Chapter 9: Lucy Remembers**

"Here we are," the man said, waving an arm at the large mansion that beheld them. Erza glanced around, looking for any booby traps. She spied none, but they were only outside, after all. A dangerous-meaning person, even a fool, would be too clever to plant traps outside where innocent passersby and unintended villagers would be caught. She watched carefully as the man pushed open the front doors and gestured for everyone to come inside. _Peculiar. A home without a lock? And is it on purpose that he is leading us into the house first, and he last? _She shook away the disturbing thoughts and entered first, to give a clean sweep of the inside of the house before her team entered.

The tarps the man spoke about were out of sight; furniture adorned the large main hall in a formal, modern style, typical for rich homeowners, Erza thought. A large glass chandelier hung from the roof. The rest of the roof was paned with long cement strips of ceiling, and in the cement's grasp were wide roof windows so that one could look up into the sky without the dew and the rain to bother them. Erza checked the floor. All the tiles were in uncracked order. An ant scurried across the well-sweeped tiles, and besides the faint flower patterns painted on the tiles, there were no tell-tale buttons, unique tiles or squeaky floors to indicate traps such as hollow rooms underfoot.

"...welcome, welcome," the stranger's voice said. Erza turned to face the man and her friends, who had just come in.

"So, show us where you saw it last, okay?" broke in Grey's impatient voice. Natsu nodded.

"C'mon! We don't have all day!" he complained. Lucy jabbed him with her elbow.

"Alright, of course," said the man, and led them down the hall. "I think I last saw it in the spare room. I was in there cleaning around, and I might've dropped it."

"What, you wear it on your finger?" muttered Natsu. "Weirdo, he's like a girl." The man frowned as he heard the dragon slayer, but walked on. Finally they came to a door at the end of the hall.

"In here, please." Erza pushed past Lucy, who had been following the man closer than the others, and stepped cautiously into the room.

~ o ~

Gajeel strode over to the requests board and scanned over the list of jobs. _Babysitter needed,_ read one. _Lost cat,_ shouted another. Gajeel snorted. _What a lame list of jobs... _At Phantom Lord, they'd had more exciting ones - _Assassinators needed! Hunt down a Gang!_

"Which one are you going to choose?" asked a voice. Gajeel grunted, thinking it was Nab with the weird face paint, the moneyless freak who gave up all the jobs he took. Gajeel ignored the 'piece of trash' and kept his eyes on the job board.

"Which one are you going to take?" the voice repeated. Gajeel rolled his eyes and looked up, preparing to fire an insult at the ever-insistent, bothersome little bug.

"You annoying piece of-" He stopped there. Two sparkling brown orbs, wide and innocent, stared up at his. Its face was framed by messy, tied-back blue hair, and adorned with the cutest nose.

"Annoying piece of what?" Levy demanded. Gajeel froze.

"..." Something stopped him from replying. Here was that girl he'd saved earlier that morning. Why he, who towered over this tiny mite of a bookworm, felt so vulnerable and shy around her was a puzzle. He felt the heat rush to his cheeks, and he turned his face away so she wouldn't notice.

"Nothing." Levy smiled victoriously.

"You know you don't have to be so gruff around everybody," she said probingly.

"Keep your annoying nose out of my business, why doncha?" he burst out, swiveling his head back in anger. Levy instantly widened her eyes in fear, then controlled herself again.

"Fine, if you want it that way," she shot back, and turned on on her heel and marched away. Gajeel felt a pang in his heart when she did, but pushed the blue-haired script mage out of his mind and turned back to the request board.

~ o ~

Natsu walked into the room. It was empty save for a tall wooden closet in the corner and a floor-lamp that stood beside it. The walls were white-washed, except for a large window that spread across one wall. The room smelled faintly of peppermint and roses.

"Mm, smells nice," Lucy observed.

"Are you kidding me? It smells horrible!" Natsu said dumbly. Happy agreed. Just then, Erza swept past him, with a bit of accidental force. Natsu slammed against the side of the closet.

"Oww, what was that for?" Natsu complained. Lucy rolled her eyes, and Happy grinned. Erza ignored him and approached the man, who had entered the room and now leaned against the other side of the closet.

"What is this room for?" she asked casually. The man paused, slightly startled, then smiled.

"It's the spare guest room, for our relatives to stay in when they visit us. Whenever they're not around, I like to keep my clothes and extra belongings in that closet. The floorlamp is for, well, obviously, light."

Erza smiled. "Thank you. That should be a little helpful. Now, let's begin our searching, everyone," she ordered sweetly. Erza moved toward the closet.

"Maybe you dropped something in here...?" Suddenly, she grabbed her sword and swung it up to the man's throat. "Step outside the room!" she demanded. The man was stunned. Lucy gasped. Natsu and Grey stopped. Happy squeaked.

"W-what are you doing? This man is our hirer!" exclaimed Lucy, shocked. Erza gave a creepy smile as she forcefully pushed the man toward the doorway.

"No, he isn't. There wasn't a job, and there wasn't ever a ring. Nor was there Rose Foxy."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Stop showing off, Erza."

"Like you should say anything," snorted Grey.

"What was that-?"

"Cut it out, you guys," Lucy scolded. "Listen to Erza. She might have a reasonable explanation. Because for all I know," she added, her eyes growing fierce. "_This man is Bora of Prominence!"_


	10. Chapter 10: The Message

**Chapter 10: The Message**

"Wha- what?" Happy said, stunned.

"Wait. Bora? Wasn't he that guy formerly from Titan Nose, who wanted to kidnap Lucy the first time I met her?" Natsu mumbled to himself.

"Yeah, and then you busted up the whole port to save her," Grey said, rolling his eyes. "Was he really that difficult to handle?"

"He would be if _you'd_ fight him, stripper."

"You said something, fire-brain?"

"You want me to kill you two?" Erza said, glaring at them. "Anyway, it's good that I've got him in a hold like that. The instant this ring-mage tries to make a move, I've got it under control."

"Fortunately," Lucy said with a shudder. She was no doubt remembering the near-escape she'd had from being an overseas slave.

"I'd like to kick that nitwit so hard he'll be flying into space," Natsu said with clenched teeth.

"At any rate, his intentions aren't good," Erza injected, waving her free arm at the man she had in a fatal hold. Bora scowled.

"How'd you find out he wasn't a hirer but someone who...?" Lucy asked the ex-quip mage. Erza smiled cunningly.

"When this guy explained his history, he shared that Rose took him in. Neither of them had any relatives. But just now, when I asked him what this room was for, he said that it was for visiting relatives. First clue."

"Darnit!" hissed Bora to himself.

"Second, this room is supposed to be a guest room, as mentioned before. Then why is there a closet and a lamp but no bed? Second clue."

"There's a cot in the closet!" Bora insisted, but everyone ignored him.

"Also," Erza continued. "he said that he liked to keep his belongings and clothes in that closet. But when I slammed Natsu against the side of the closet, it made a perfectly hollow sound. Third clue."

"Hey!" Natsu said.

"Finally, starting from the moment we entered this room until now, I noticed that the only spots this so-called 'hirer' stood on was in the doorway, and beside the closet. Last clue."

"Fishy!" exclaimed Happy with a wide grin. Grey slapped him. "Ow..."

"But there's something else too." Erza paused for dramatic effect.

"What?" Grey asked insistently.

"Two of the three clues pointed to something suspicious about the closet. Because of this, I have a hunch that... Lucy. Take this string," she said suddenly, using her free hand to take a string out of her pocket. "Tie it _carefully_ around the neck of the closet door knob. Slowly." Lucy obeyed nervously.

"Now, take the other end, and exit the room. You guys, too," Erza added, indicating the boys and the Exceed. The four pushed past the doorway and joined Erza and Bora in the hall. Lucy stood nervously, clutching the other end of the string with both hands.

"Natsu, take the string," Erza ordered. Natsu grabbed it. "Now... _pull!" _With a hard yank, Natsu jerked the string backwards, away from the room.

Suddenly, the floor tiles, not including the ones around the closet and the lamp, split in two halves and dropped, one side still attached to one wall each. What was left was an expanse of darkness.

~ o ~

_That unthoughtful idiot, _thought Levy, clutching her fists tightly as she headed back to her teammates. _Why does he have to be so... so rude, even when I'm only trying to be a friend... _She sighed. What was the use anyway? Boys will be boys, she knew, so monsters would be monsters.

But could this little Belle change the Iron Beast's cold ways?

She wanted to try, but...

"Levy! Did you pick out a job yet?" Droy said excitedly. Levy groaned inwardly.

"Sorry, I forgot. I was distracted." Droy looked odd, but the two smiled.

"Here, I'll go pick one," Jet offered, and went off. Levy worked up a smile and got a conversation started with Droy.

~ o ~

"There's a hollow room up there!" gasped Lucy. Bora stared at it, his eyes cold with fury.

"That's not all, is there?" Grey said suddenly, looking closer. He grabbed a pocketknife and threw it inside. As the knife entered the hollow basement room, a large netting snapped up and trapped it tightly.

"So you meant to trap us." Grey observed. "What did you want?" Bora said nothing, and tore his gaze from them to the floor.

"Tell us!" Erza demanded, moving her sword even closer to the ring mage's neck.

He muttered something under his breath.

"What?"

"...Heart...Heartfilia." Lucy gasped.

"I was planning to ransom you guys in exchange for Heartfilia," Bora explained grudgingly. "Orders of..."

"Of who?" Erza shouted. Underneath her icy, tough hide hid an undying personality of love and care toward her teammates and guildmates.

"I'm gonna kill them," Natsu added fiercely to himself.

"Aye, sir!" agreed Happy, clutching his paws. Grey's eyes sharpened, and his eyebrows narrowed.

"Of..." Bora paused. "Orders of a mysterious man named Jose Porla."

"Jose Porla-that's the former master of Phantom Lord," hissed Grey. Lucy shuddered.

"Is he _still_ after me, that freaky oaf?" she moaned, her eyes filled with fear and anger.

"Don't worry. We'll never let anyone take a guild member!" Natsu said firmly.

"We'd die before that happens," added Grey. Erza smiled smugly.

"But it doesn't look like that's the case this time," she whispered, her eyes flashing blood-red as her hair. Lucy gulped. Bora gulped.

"Don't... kill me..."

Erza sniffed. "Do you really think I'd kill someone who meant to endanger my _nakama_, who nearly tricked us into falling into a trap, and aided a harm-meaning old grouch? Surely I'm not that cruel."

"I should hope so," muttered Bora, twitching.

"Hmph. Even if _I'm_ not, there is still someone..." she grinned, thinking of the pink-haired dragonslayer standing only a few steps away. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry. I'll tell you what I'll do. Send this message to Jose and we'll forget any of this ever happened, alright?" Lucy put in hastily.

"Yeah. ...And, the message is _this!"_ Natsu exclaimed with glee. Bora smiled. _This would be an easy ride out..._

At least, it would've, but the ring mage's perspective changed after Natsu's fist zoomed into view.


	11. Chapter 11: Monsters Will Be Princes

**Chapter 11: Monsters Will Be Princes**

Bora slumped into a corner in the hallway. Bruises covered his arms and legs, and his cheek was turning black-and-blue. _What kind of 'message' is this? _he thought, groaning. First had come the pink-haired boy's furious punches; then the blond-haired girl - why did those two look so familiar, and what was it that girl had mentioned earlier about Jose? - had summoned a big bull of some sort who mooed perverted sayings and beat him up like a steak. Then he was frozen in an ice cage, and attacked by needle-sharp icicles. Finally, Erza kept zapping him with some kind of electro-sword. Would his body ever heal? He moaned again.

"I think it'd be safe just to leave you here. But you'd best be on your way to Jose soon, or we'll come back and check on you," Erza said, giving a hint of a smile at the last part. The four Fairy Tail mages and the blue-furred Exceed turned to leave.

Just as they were about to walk through the front door, the blonde-haired one turned.

"Oh, by the way... Do you remember? I'm Lucy Heartfilia, and this is Natsu Dragneel!" She grinned teasingly, and Bora frowned as he recalled that miserable day when...

"Hey!" Natsu's voice broke into his thoughts. "Next time we meet, I hope you've sharpened up those nasty-tasting fire skills of yours." He grinned, and the mages left. Bora gritted his teeth.

~ o ~

Gajeel sat down at an empty table and stared at the job offer in his hand. It wasn't very exciting at all, but it was the best he could find among all those lame requests. _Lost ring_, it read. _Ownership of my sister, Rose. Reward: 2,000 jewels._

"Foolish owner, to be giving away so much money," he muttered to himself.

"You're the foolish one," said a voice. Gajeel jerked his head up and looked around. There was no one there... _I must have been imagining that, _he told himself warily.

He looked back down. "What in the world-" There, on top of the job offer, was a pale lavender envelope, dusted with deliciously-scented iron shards. A wax stamp sealed the envelope flap. Gajeel picked it up. The envelope was heavy, as if something inside was weighing it down. With only a moment's hesitation, he ripped the seal and dumped the contents onto the table. There was a small, envelope-size sheet of iron, a few iron nails and bolts, and a note. He paused, then opened the note first.

_Dear Gajeel,_

_I'm not asking you to open up to me, or to be my very best friend, but I want to be able to say hi in the hallway, do some jobs together even. I know you don't want to be extremely friendly and cozy up to anyone, so I'm not going to ask that. I just want to be your friend, someone who you can come up to and feel comfortable around._

_Please consider this, OK?_

_Love, Levy McGarden_

_PS. I've enclosed a small friendship gift._

~ o ~

Levy glanced eagerly toward the request board.. or at least, in that direction approximately. Jet had gone over to the bar to get a glass of Mountain Dew, and Droy was still picking out a job. Rather, she was looking at the tall, gruff man sitting at a table alone. He had picked up the envelope and was now reading the note inside. She was worried. _Was the note too cheesy? Was it too butter-warming for an iron-souled man like Gajeel? Should I have sent the envelope at all?_

"Hey Levy! I'm back." Jet sat back down with a glass of Mountain Dew for each of them. Levy sighed, pained to have to turn away from the scene by the request board

~ o ~

Gajeel stomped down the road, his fingers in his pockets. He could feel the rough, tempting surface of the iron nails, jingling in his right pocket. Should he eat them, or not? They _were_, after all, a gift... but a friendship gift. Others would think he was weak and soft-hearted if he ate them... _Well, I _did_ eat the iron sheet already..._

"Gajeel! What are you doing here?" a voice exclaimed. He looked up. The pink-haired dragonslayer again.

"Firebrain..." he hissed.

"I just asked a question! But," Natsu added slyly. "If you want a fight, I'd be glad to take up the challenge..." Glowing jets of flame ignited his fingertips.

"Cut it out, Natsu," Erza said, stepping up. Gajeel also noticed Grey, Lucy, and the blue-furred Exceed, Happy.

"Yeah. I'm on a mission to find some lost ring," grumbled Gajeel.

"Lost ring?" Natsu said, his eyes looking strange.

"Yeah, it's worth 2,000 jewels. Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Sorry, we already handled that job," Erza said, hinting a smile. "It wasn't really a job, just a trap to kidnap... a member of our guild."

"Wait. What?" Gajeel paused. "This isn't a joke, is it?"

"No, I'm serious. Let's get back. We can walk together, back to the guild," Erza offered.

"..." Gajeel turned stiff.

"Yeah, and along the way we can-"

"_No, _Natsu!"

"SIGH." Natsu pouted and trudged along behind Erza. Gajeel paused, then, for some reason unknown to him, he followed them back to the guild.

~ o ~

Levy followed her friends down the alley, back to the guild. After a mere ten minutes of chasing some runaway cat, they were plainly exhausted. At least, the boys were. They hadn't let her really work at all, saying it was too messy and everything. That wasn't unusual. She was the brains of the team, and those two worked it out. She was what they'd call a backup, who not only came to the rescue sometimes but planned the strategy and boosted her teammates' powers. Fortunately, they'd earned 200 jewels each for all of those ten, hair-raising minutes. Levy rolled her eyes, thinking about it.

"That was some adventure!" Droy exclaimed.

"Yeah. Remind me _never_ to let you pick again!" Jet said, jabbing his friend with his elbow. Levy smiled. At least team Shadowgear was back to normal. She sighed, remembering Gajeel's almost immediate departure for a job. What was his reaction? Was he affected at all by her letter and gift? Maybe he would think her too lame and compassionate and be even more distant from her, not to mention everyone in the guild, too.

They entered the guild. Jet went to train, and Droy excused himself to go to the gardens just beside the guild. Levy sighed and sat down at a table, taking out a book to read. Coincidentally, it was _The Beauty and the Beast._ As she lifted her Wind Reading glasses out of her handbag, she whizzed through the pages. At the end, the Beast grew to love the girl and became a dashing prince.

_Maybe... he'll soften up a bit, _she thought with renewed hope. Just then, a chorus of voices sounded outside in the guild courtyard. She closed her book and stepped outside.

"I'll get you this time!" Natsu hissed.

"Just try and get me!" Gajeel grinned. Levy's heart skipped a beat.

"Aren't you going to stop them?" Lucy said to Erza.

"Nah... boys will be boys," Erza replied coolly. Levy paused. What was that she said? Right. Boys will be boys, and monsters will be monsters. That's what Levy was determined to change. _Monsters will be princes. Monsters will be princes. Monsters..._ She waited until the battle ceased. Natsu shuffled angrily back to his friends, having lost, and Gajeel only paused a moment, then turned and walked away. Levy rushed after him.

~ o ~

_Why, even thought that flameboy lost, everyone's crowding around him, teasing him, patting him on the back... and I won, and yet no one even congratulated me..._ Gajeel shifted uncomfortably in his hideout in an alley. He leaned against the wall, which was the side of the guild, and kicked an abandoned cart, frowning.

"Hey." Gajeel looked up. Blue hair, large brown eyes.

"Levy."

"Did... did you get my note?" she whispered solemnly, crouching.

"..."

"I wasn't sure if you, you know, understood it." There was an uncomfortable silence. Levy looked down at her feet, and suddenly all Gajeel wanted to do was run his fingers through that hair and pull her close and apologize.

"Levy..."

And that's what he did.


	12. Chapter 12: Glittering Anticipations

**Chapter 12: Resolutions and Glittering Anticipation**

A lone figure, with white fur and a serious look on her face, swooped through the shadows. "Happy..." Carla muttered, hiding herself behind some carts as Happy and five other mages entered the guild courtyard. In a matter of seconds a fight had been placed between two dragonslayers who were, unlike her Wendy, in their late teen years and both boys. As people swarmed to watch, the three other returning mages stood at hand to oversee the fight. One was a redhead, Erza the ex-quip mage. The others were Lucy, a celestial mage, and Grey, the ice-user. Watching his owner intently was a blue-furred Exceed like herself.

_Happy._

"That he-cat... how am I going to get him over here without everyone seeing?" Carla said to herself. "Oh. Easy! I'll simply..." Just then, voices cheered and swarmed around Natsu, one of the fighter. The fight was over! Gajeel, the other fighter, was the winner, but he stalked off somewhere. Not that it was _her_ problem.

"Happy!" she hissed to herself, reminding her of her goal. She prepared herself, and lifted off from the ground.

~ o ~

Happy trotted happily over to Natsu, ready to encourage him with a loyal, "_You'll win next time!"_ and so forth. Suddenly, a white blur dashed across his eyes and he felt claws dig into his paws. He was lifted from the ground and after a few seconds of bewilderment, set back down in an abandoned corner of the courtyard.

"...Carla?" Happy asked, puzzled to see the white Exceed. Carla looked sheepish. "What do you want? A fish?"

"I...um..." She paused, then looked up. Happy was stunned to see a faint pink blush dusting her cheeks.

"If you want to have a fish, then I'd be glad to!" Carla burst out, then instantly clapped her paws over her mouth.

"What did you say?" Happy whispered, his paws frozen._ Am I only imagining this?_

"I said, if you want to eat fish together, then I'd like that..."

"Aye, Carla!" Happy whooped, pumping a paw in the air. "I've got the perfect one for you. It's big and fresh - I caught it this morning!" The blue Exceed trotted over to the entrance of the guild. Smiling, Carla hurried after him.

~ o ~

Levy gasped, her skin chilled by the intent look on Gajeel's face. A hand stroked her hair, but she didn't know what was happening.

"I'm sorry. Your note... I didn't know what to think. It made me look at everything in a new way," Gajeel apologized. "If you'll accept me, I'd like to be on a closer hand with you-with everyone," he added hastily. Levy found her heart beating again.

"Of course, Gajeel," she whispered, her lips tilting upward in a smile. "That includes me, doesn't it?"

~ o ~

Everything was perfect. That's what Jet thought. He, Droy and Levy were friends again. And was it just him, or was his pace quicker than before? Maybe he was finally improving, with the help and encouragement from the people who mattered most to him. Jet smiled, satisfied with his self-training. Now it was time to get back to the guild to meet up with Levy and Droy. They'd planned a night on the town together!

Jet rushed to the guild, thankful for his speed. Upon entering the courtyard, he thought he noticed two _tiny_ figures dashing around in the corner, but shook it off his mind and jogged into the guild.

"Droy!" he waved at his friend, who was just coming in through the side door. "Where's Levy?" His dark-haired friend shrugged.

"Dunno. She'll be in soon. If she's late, it's always for a good reason," Droy assured faithfully. He was always the trusting type, and besides, they were both a tad early. They heard laughing coming from the front doorway and turned to look.

Droy gasped. Jet felt his skin curl.

There, entering the guild, laughing and chatting, were Levy and Gajeel.

Speedy as he was, his blood was even speedier. Jet could feel his skin boiling, and it took a few moments to calm himself down. Droy, on the other hand, was only slightly taken aback, and soon rushed to join them. Jet told himself to 'cool it', and, after reminding himself of his conversation with Levy only a few hours earlier, followed his friend forward.

~ o ~

Levy smiled as she and Gajeel trotted into the guild.

"I'm so glad you decided to trust me. Soon I'll have you reading!"

"Yeah, right, _shrimp,_" Gajeel shot back.

"Just wait and see, ironhead!" Levy laughed.

"Hey, Levy! Hi, Gajeel." Droy rushed up to them.

"Hi Droy! Ready for tonight?" She smiled and turned back to Gajeel. "Sorry, but I've got tonight planned." She smiled at her teammates.

Gajeel started to move away. Levy paused, then turned.

"Hey, Iron Machine. I'll see you later."

"You bet, bookworm," Gajeel countered.

"Ooh," Mira exclaimed, dashing over. She could smell a romance from miles away. "Are you guys...?" Natsu followed, grinning at having something to jab at his dragonslayer rival about.

Jet and Droy waited, anticipating. The 'bookworm' and 'ironhead' looked at each other and blushed.

"Might as well admit it," sighed Levy. She turned to Mira and nodded.

"They're not the only ones!" said Droy, jumping in excitedly. He pointed to a table set for two. "See?"

"What in the world? Hey, that's-Happy and Carla!" shouted Natsu. He turned. "WENDY! Get over here." The Sky Sorceress rushed over.

"Look at _that._"

Indeed, Happy and Carla were sitting at a table, chatting quietly over two plates of steaming fish. They looked cheerful, yet shy.

"Aw..." murmured Levy and Wendy together.

"Yep! This is _definitely_ something to have a party over!" Mira exclaimed excitedly.

"But-"

"No 'but's, Droy," Mira said wickedly. "Let's get the party started!"

~ o ~

Levy slumped in a chair, smiling at the scene around her. Jet and Droy were chatting intently over some new magic device. Natsu and Grey were arguing over who was better, and Erza and Mira were gleefully scaring the wits out of them whenever they felt like it. Lucy had just left to get a drink for the two of them; they were having a conversation about a new book Levy had bought a few days ago.

"Hey."

"Hi, Gajeel." Levy smiled.

Gajeel gave a rough hint of a smile. "You think they'll accept me?"

She had to laugh. "Of course! They haven't been gossiping or insulting you, have they?"

"No..."

"Then cheer up." Levy got up from her chair and climbed up to the roof of the guild. Gajeel followed. For a while they sat in silence, lying down and staring at the star-filled sky. Then, "Levy?"

"Yeah?"

"...Thanks." Gajeel blushed.

Levy smiled. So much had happened between them and her team, and so much more could happen in the future. As she gazed up at the thousands of glittering stars above them, she knew that although the past might be hurtful, that tomorrow was a glittering anticipation that she would never want to miss.

**That's the final chapter. I'm really going to miss writing this one… Hope you all enjoyed it!**

**Please remember to R&R! Thanks :)**

**Ps. Please keep an eye out for my future fanfics! I'm already starting a new one :3**


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